The "S" Word...Sacrifice!

The other day a dear friend of mine paid me a compliment. She told me I was a good mother, and coming from her, I knew she meant it, because Tracey does not waste her words throwing out insincere complements.  We continued our conversation with her asking if I ever thought about starting a child care service.  I told her that I did think about it in the past.  My friend and I proceeded to discuss how providing quality childcare can bring in a substantial amount of money per month, something I definitely could use.  Any other time, I would jump at the opportunity to start a business to make some extra cash, and my dear friend, being the "top hustler" would gladly help me bring it to pass.  However, this one time, I heard myself say something that showed me that I have made my peace with being a stay at home mom for right now.  I said, "Tracey, I could probably do a good job at being a child care provider, but with our baby being only 6 months old, I do not want to split my attention between her and other children."  Tracey, also being a mom totally understood my point of view.

Am I saying that women who run day cares while having their own little(s) there on site is wrong?    NO!!!!!  Matter of fact, I admire those women, like my friend Germain who runs a successful day care in Delaware and tends to her three young children.  What  our conversation reconfirmed is that parenting is a sacrifice in one area or another.  For me, it is in the area of living off of one income, thus not getting or living in a way that I would like to, but I know this sacrifice is only for a short season. No season last forever.  Spring, summer, winter and fall all have their proper times and purposes, and so does raising a family.

So what is my point?  What could you sacrifice for your child or children?  Could you turn off the television for 30 minutes when you come home and spend it talking to your child?  When was the last time you ate dinner as a family?  Could you sacrifice an hour over the weekend and do an new activity with your children and mate?  All these are areas that one could see as a sacrifice. I have noticed that most people want results, but are not willing to do what it takes to get the desired results.  Listen, we all want a easy, quick fix, but that does not exist, especially when it comes to raising children. 

So the take away from this blog is simply:  Being a parent, a great parent requires making sacrifices.  We can not live and make choices like we did prior to having children. Over commitment to things can cause unwanted stress and less time together as a family and always weigh the cost of all our decisions.

Until next time, be blessed!

Angela